Investment and Enterprise

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The Division is recognized as a global centre of excellence on issues related to investment and enterprise for sustainable development.

Built on several decades of successful experience, its staff provide international expertise in research and policy analysis, inter-governmental consensus-building, and technical assistance to over 150 countries.

Its flagship product is the annual World Investment Report and its main global stakeholder event is the biennial World Investment Forum.

The Division maintains an interactive World Investment Network of over 9,000 members to disseminate and promote its work on investment and enterprise.

News

The Monitor finds that 22 countries took 32 investment policy measures between November 2017 and February 2018. The share of investment restrictions and regulations increased to 29 percent. Compared to the annual figures in recent years, this records the highest ratio since 2010.

The United States tax reform bill will have significant implications for global FDI patterns, affecting multinational enterprises and foreign affiliates accounting for almost 50% of global foreign direct investment stock.

The Monitor finds that 38 countries took 60 investment policy measures between May and October 2017. The share of liberalisation, promotion and facilitation measures reached 78 per cent - broadly in line with the average in recent years. Developing countries especially in Asia and Africa took the lead in adopting these policies.

UNCTAD honours best practice in promoting international investment by recognizing agencies from Ethiopia, Mauritius and Spain. Each agency has spurred private investment in developing countries that will boost economic activity and hasten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The joint UNCTAD-OECD Report indicates that investment policy measures taken by G20 Members were mostly geared towards greater openness for foreign investment. At the same time, there has been an increase in policies related to national security.

A changing investment policy landscape has investors feeling uncertain at a stage when the world's most vulnerable economies desperately need foreign cash, UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi has told an international meeting on investment convening this week in Geneva.